Ten Great British Bake Off activities for toddlers
The Great British Bake Off is back on TV and I am super excited for all the delicious Autumn bakes I can make with my toddler this year. It’s never too early to start teaching your children practical life skills and baking is definitely one them! Baking with a toddler might seem daunting but it doesn’t have to be. Why not start introducing the key skills and vocabulary through play? You can start right now with my ten Great British Bake Off activities for toddlers.
Baking is a fantastic life skill to pass onto your kids. Even if you are a beginner, baking is something you and your toddler can enjoy together. Autumn is a great time for baking. It’s a warm, indoor activity perfect for any weather! The delicious bakes feel comforting and it’s a great way to use seasonal fruit and veg. A pumpkin pie is always on my Autumn baking list. Your toddler needs to learn the basics first though and there’s no better way to teach them than through play! So here are my top ten Great British Bake Off activities for toddlers.
Number 1. Baking Treasure Basket
Number 1 on my list of the top ten Great British Bake Off activities for toddlers is a Baking Treasure Basket. Babies and toddlers love to explore. Everything is new and exciting! So why not introduce common baking utensils and vocabulary with a basket full of baking treasure? You can see in the photos, that I have included household items like cookie cutters, measuring cups, silicone cupcake cases, a sealed pot of sprinkles, baking tins, oven glove, spatulas and a whisk.
You can use anything you have on hand that is safe for a toddler to play with. Make sure you avoid anything too small that could pose a choking hazard. Be aware that metal cookie cutters or decorative tins could have sharp edges. So stick with curved edges and materials like wood, silicone, fabric and paper. Stay with your toddler and enjoy exploring the activity together.
You might have noticed all the cute flashcards and labels I have included in my treasure basket. Well you are in luck! I have made a FREE Time to Bake Activity Bundle which includes these great flashcards! Grab your copy now and include them in your own treasure basket.
Number 2 Decorating Biscuits
Number two on my list of ten Great British Bake Off activities for toddlers is Biscuit Decorating. If you are looking for a super simple activity to enjoy with your toddler this is it. Why not take a few shortcuts and make life easier for yourself while still giving your toddler an exciting baking experience?
This Biscuit Decorating activity is the perfect solution. Only four ingredients, a 5 minute setup and a delicious treat to enjoy at the end! Your toddler will love spreading the colourful icing and sprinkling the toppings on their biscuits! Click the link to find out what you need, grab my bright icing recipe and even get your hands on my FREE Time to Bake Activity Bundle.
Number 3 Baking Rhyme Time
Next up on my list of the top ten Great British Bake Off activities for toddlers is Baking Rhyme Time. There are lots of great nursery rhymes with a baking theme! Nursery rhymes are a brilliant way to introduce new vocabulary and boost your preschool child’s speech and language development. I have written a list of my favourite baking themed nursery rhymes below. All you really need is your own singing voice, but you can include props and CDs too if you like.
Why not put those flashcards to good use and include them alongside your musical instruments? Don’t worry if you aren’t a confident singer. Your little one will love hearing you sing and they will be fascinated by your facial expressions too. Just be enthusiastic and use lots of actions to make your Baking Rhyme Time lots of fun!
Here are my favourite baking themed nursery rhymes:
- 5 Currant Buns in a Baker’s Shop
- We’re going to bake a cake (tune of The Farmer’s in his Den)
- Hot Cross Buns
- Pat-a-Cake
- Pop a little pancake into the pan
- Queen of hearts
- Sing a song of sixpence
Number 4 Homemade Playdough
Number 4 on my list of ten Great British Bake Off activities is Homemade Playdough. Did you know it is actually really easy to make playdough? We love sensory play and I have adapted this basic playdough recipe to make it even more exciting. Making playdough involves lots of baking skills. Measuring, stirring, pouring and kneading! And with this easy scented playdough recipe you can encourage your toddler to use all of their senses too! Teach your toddler to sniff, whiff and smell their playdough creations. Just click the link to find the recipe.
Number 5 Playdough Mats
Number 5 had to be Playdough Mats! Once you have used all your baking skills to create a homemade playdough, put it to good use with my Time to Bake playdough mats. Practice shaping the dough into pizza, cake, pretzels and more! My toddler loved sprinkling on some Sensory Rice too! You can find my FREE Playdough Mats here.
Number 6 Felt Pizza
Number 6 on my list of ten Great British Bake Off activities for toddlers is a Felt Pizza. Anyone who follows my Facebook page, will know how much I love felt! I actually have adult sewing workshops available right now for anyone who wants to try sewing a Halloween themed Felt Garland! Felt is perfect for toddlers because it sticks to itself. That means you can easily make a cake or pizza using felt toppings and they won’t fall off! You don’t need any extra craft supplies – just felt! You can grab my Pizza and Cake templates in the Time to Bake Activity Bundle. Just lay the paper templates on top of a sheet of felt and cut around them. My toddler kept hold of the paper template too, so that he could make an even more exciting pizza!
Number 7 Threading
Number 7 on my list of ten Great British Bake Off activities for toddlers is Threading. This might sound a bit random to anyone who hasn’t been in a nursery lately. But threading is actually a brilliant activity for toddlers to help strengthen the muscles in their hands and develop skills like a ‘pincer grip’. I set up a baking themed threading tray for my toddler using Cheerios, pipe cleaners, string and cookie cutters. You could even turn your pipe cleaners into a bird feeder by threading them with Cheerios and then tying the ends together. Just hang the circular feeder on your bird table and clear up the pipe cleaners when the bird’s have finished.
Number 8 Time to Bake Flashcards
Number 8 on my list of ten Great British Bake Off activities for toddlers is Flashcards. Again, the flashcards pictured above are available as part of my FREE Time to Bake Activity Bundle. I love flashcards as they introduce written language, support learning of new vocabulary and can be used in any number of ways! Why not include your flashcards in a messy baking tray or treasure basket? Just click the link and get the flashcards straight to your inbox.
Number 9 Tea Party Messy Play
The final episode of the Great British Bake Off often includes a garden party with family and friends of the contestants. So I had to include a Tea Party Messy Play on my list of the top ten Great British Bake Off activities for toddlers. I actually set this up in the Art Attack Angus studio where my classes are held! So you can head over to the Art Attack Angus website to read the full blog post. But essentially, I popped a tea set and some sensory rice on my tuff tray and included lots of exciting smells and textures. Why not see what you have around the house and create your very own Great British Tea Party? If it’s nice weather you could even turn it into a garden party! Remember to sing ‘I’m a little tea pot’ and clink your cups together!
Number 10 Baking Tuff Tray
Finally, number 10 on my list of the top ten Great Gritish Bake Off activities for toddlers is a Baking Tuff Tray. My toddler loved exploring common store cupboard ingredients and kitchen utensils with this messy play activity. I included a baking bowl, flour, raisins, cinnamon, wooden spoons, cookie cutters, toy pots and pans and more!
This is a brilliant way to introduce baking vocabulary. You can name the utensils and ingredients as your child’s explores the tray. It’s perfect for learning about baking skills too! Measuring, whisking, stirring and pouring are all fun skills you can practice on the tuff tray! And if you fancy throwing in a bit of GBBO gingham, why not?
So are you ready to bake?
Which of my ten Great British Bake Off activities for toddlers will you try? I would love to know! Tag me in your photos @craftytoddlercompany and remember to join the Crafty Toddler Community group for more exciting ideas and freebies!
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